


New Bird for the Nest

by Zappy



Series: Crimson Spade [14]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-29 19:52:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7697380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zappy/pseuds/Zappy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>June 28th, Year Nine. Robin has grown and flown the coup, leaving Bats and Hood feeling lonely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Bird for the Nest

Gotham Skyline, Earth 696 - Year Nine

~~

Hood had nearly passed out laughing.

Though let’s start a few days before that. Gotham had been quiet for a while, in as much Gotham was ever quiet. Meaning the super-villains were taking a rest, but petty crimes still made Gotham turn. He’d dealt with no less than four separate muggings that evening, and Red Hood was running out of material to banter with.

“This is why quiet nights are no fun I tell you. Run of the mill crimes just don’t have that wit needed for banter.” Hood lamented to his companion with a pout.  He received no sympathetic look. In fact, Batman looked even more sullen than usual.

Normally, Hood was fine filling silence by himself, but he was starting to feel that jitter beneath his skin. That faint buzz that these quiet nights weren’t silencing. Hood pinched himself and shook his head to stave it off. He was about to attempt another conversation when Batman replied, “There is no such thing as run of the mill crime, Hood.”

_Nice going Hoody!_

“I uh, didn’t mean it like that Batsy…” The dark knight merely sighed and continued watching the people below. Red Hood settled back against the gargoyle he was perched on. He watched Batman rather than the people, sure that if something needed his attention, Bats would see it first anyway. After a long while, Hood smirked behind his helmet and broke the silence. “Oh, now I get it! You miss Little Bird! It’s been, what, a week since he flew away from the nest, yeah?”

There was a pause. “A month. Since he moved to the Mountain to run The Team.” Batman said nothing after that and they went back to listening to the cars drive below them.

“…I miss him too you know.” Red Hood offered quietly.

“…I know.”

~~

Hood stretched as they walked towards where Batman had left the Batmobile. Relatively good evening, but it still left his muscles pleasantly sore, and his head blissfully quiet. Maybe it was spending an entire evening, _seven whole hours!_ , in Batman’s company.

“Hey, Batsy, would you mind giving me a lift? M’legs are sore and-” he cut off as they turned the corner and both caped men stopped dead in their tracks.  


Hood wrapped his arms around his stomach trying to hold his breath. Because if he let even a bit of oxygen in he’d lose it. Beside him, Batman was very still. Just staring at what was before them.

“I don’t believe it.” Batman muttered.  


The Batmobile was partially deconstructed, her hubcaps littering the alley around where she was parked. There was a scuffing noise as the culprit for this act of vandalism rose from underneath the fourth tire.

It was a little boy, grease staining not only his face and hands, but grime darkening his torn jeans and loosely fitting tee shirt. The look on the young boy’s face tipped him over the edge and he burst out laughing.

Hood held his heaving sides with one arm, the other against his helmet as he stuttered out between laughs, “Oh- oh- I can’t _breathe_ \- oh Batsy, he’s- _his face!_ ”

Perhaps the best part of all of this…was the fact Batman had also succumbed to laughter. His deep laughs echoed down the alley as Batman shook his head in disbelief. “You’ve got a lot of guts, kid. You _had_ to know this was my car.”

The boy looked back at the car, the black luxurious car with the batwings on the tail, still holding the tire iron in one head. He turned back to them with a look that Hood knew was going to make him smile all week. “Well. It’s a bit obvious.”

Collapsing to the ground in a renewed fit of laughter, Hood lost his breath, tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard. It was fogging up his helmet, but at that moment he couldn’t care.

Batman let out another bark of laughter and tilted his head to appraise the boy. “What’s your name?”

Looking nervous for a moment, the boy then hid the tire iron behind his back, _too little to late lad!_ , and puffed up his chest. “Jason. Jason Todd.”

**Author's Note:**

> Dick is 16 and temporarily living in The Mountain to train with The Team as classes in Gotham have ended for the summer. Jason is 12 and precocious.


End file.
